Nathan Critchlow is Research Fellow at the Institute for Social Marketing and Health, University of Stirling. His research focuses on the nature and extent of alcohol marketing, how marketing influences alcohol use and attitudes among consumers, and the design and effectiveness of policies to regulate alcohol marketing. Nathan’s current and previous research includes studies into the influence of alcohol marketing on adults in the UK, standardised tobacco packaging, minimum unit pricing for alcohol, the alcohol-free and low-alcohol market, gambling marketing, and food marketing. He is a former Academic Fellow for the Society for the Study of Addiction.

Abstract

Where and how are no/lo drinks advertised in the UK: a long-term observational study of advertising expenditure data and a detailed content analysis of advertising

Increased availability and consumption of alcohol-free and low-alcohol (no/lo) drinks has intensified focus on how the marketing of such products may, or may not, contribute to potential public health outcomes. For instance, understanding how no/lo drinks are positioned and promoted provides important insight into potential consumer impact, including which groups are targeted (and how), what drinking practices are promoted, and what contexts no/lo drinks are presented in.

This presentation will summarise the findings of three studies into the scope, nature, and reach of no/lo drinks marketing in Great Britain. In study one, we used media monitoring data to examine trends in no/lo advertising expenditure between 2011 and 2024, including differences between no/lo categories (e.g. beers vs. wines) and how trends and expenditure for no/lo drinks compare to standard-strength alcohol. In study two, we conducted a detailed content analysis of a random sample of no/lo adverts from 2023 (n=100) to examine how the products and brands were positioned, promoted, and marketed to consumers. In study three, we used an online cross-sectional survey of adults in the UK (n=6,021) to examine past month awareness of marketing for no/lo drinks and how this varies by demography and degree of alcohol use.